Rural Voices

Rural Voices

YA anthology
Following Trump's election in 2016 the media became obsessed
with explaining why rural residents voted "against their own
interests." Every negative stereotype in the book was unearthed to
create a monolithic image. Much of the country found it to be
credible. But Nora Shalaway Carpenter didn't. Lucky for us, she
decided to fight back, inviting other authors to join her.
"The fifteen authors you're about to read [in Rural Voices] are
diverse in ethnic and cultural background, sexual orientation, rural
geographical location, physical ability, and socioeconomic
status...Still, this collection portrays only a fraction of the
innumerable experiences and voices that compose rural America. And
that, indeed, is the point: there's not just one type of rural."
Rural Voices is one of the most engaging YA anthologies I've
ever had the pleasure of reading. Inclusion of graphic and poetry
formats increases its appeal. Some of my favorite pieces are:
*A Border Kid Comes of Age by David Bowles which shares, through
poems, the joys and hardships of growing up queer in a border state.
Looking back at his great grandfather's life, he shows a creepy
similarity between the racial fears of many whites then and now. A
great uncle helps him gain the courage to come out.
*Award winning Abnaki author Joseph Bruchac has authored over 160
books. His shorter pieces have appeared in prestigious periodicals
such as National Geographic and Smithsonian. In Pull Up a Seat Around
the Stove he relates his growing up experiences to his career choice,
using poems to illustrate key points.
*David Magginis Gill's Praise the Lord and Pass the Little Debbies
portrays a younster whose insightful questions provoke the wrath of
his Baptist church clergy.
*The protagonists of Monica Roe's The (Unhealthy) Breakfast Club are a
small group of scholarship students who commute quite a distance to a
big town private school. Apart from "being short on Internet and long
on worries about all those random little expenses our Hammerlin
scholarships don't quite hit," they're a diverse foursome including a
fantasy fan, a juggler, an actress, and a student government
politician. But they come together in the face of a microaggression.
What sets this anthology apart from so many others is the
passion with which it was curated.
"Rural Voices defies the idea of a rural monolith, over and
over, with every story. It seeks to change the conversation. To
offer new narratives and ways of viewing the incredible people who
make up rural America, the people who are so often misunderstood, made
fun of and maligned, who are overlooked or even out right ignored..."
Reading Rural Voices is an intriguing and captivating journey,
whether or not you consider yourself rural.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope you had a good weekend. I did. The
highlight for me was a road trip with Eugene. Eugene bought me a me
size glider chair at one of the yard sales we explored. At 5'0" I'm
like Goldilocks when it comes to furniture. Most is too big or
small. This coming week will hold two back to back anniversaries:
one joyous and one heartbreaking. Tuesday will be the tenth birthday
of this blog. In these 10 years I've reviewed 1894 books. Then
Wednesday will be the second anniversary of the day precious Joey cat
crossed the rainbow bridge. I would stay home if I didn't have
obligations to the library and my school supplies drive to send the
kids in my trailer park to school with all they need. I miss that
little guy so much. He was my best little friend for 16 amazing
years. (Jules)
I like that chair. Not the too hot weather. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to our Eugene.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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